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Singaporeans Beware: 5 Major Scams Going On Right Now

2016-07-14 , 5:41 pm

If you’re constantly Facebook-ing, chances are you’ll have heard of the infamous DHL scam that’s sweeping the nation right now. Or the 999 scam. Or the NTUC Voucher scam. You get the idea.

Why there’s a sudden spate of scams going on, I have no idea, but I do know this – prevention is better than cure.

So here we have compiled a list of five major scams you can find in Singapore at this very moment. Share this post with friends and family, and stay safe. #NoMoreLosingMoney

1. “DHL” Scam

You might be thinking, “There’s no way I’ll fall for this!”

That’s exactly what victims thought before they were reportedly scammed of $4.9 million in total from January to May.

Victims receive calls from people claiming to be China authorities, who tell the victims that there are illegal items in parcels sent under their names.

They are then told to make a payment (usually through wire transfer), or face jail time.

Just this week, an elderly lady was almost scammed of $180,000. Luckily for her, employees at a remittance agency suspected that something fishy was going on, and called the police.

It’s a good thing that people are getting considerably more aware about this, though – some quick-witted netizens have even taken it upon themselves to “troll” these callers.

GOOD RIDDANCE.

2. ‘999’ Scam

On the off chance you happen to miss a phone call with numbers that begin with ‘999’, don’t call back.

If you do, you’ll be connected to the Police emergency hotline at ‘999’ – and I’m pretty sure you (and also the police) don’t want to deal with that sort of trouble.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on July 6 that some people have received such calls, and when they returned the calls, they found themselves calling the police emergency hotline instead.

2. NTUC Voucher Scam

Everyone’s favourite supermarket, NTUC FairPrice, warned its customers of a new phishing scam carried out using its name.

The online survey, which uses NTUC FairPrice’s logo, falsely claims that participants will get $500 in FairPrice shopping vouchers if they answer questions about their shopping habits, and forward the link to 10 other contacts.

NTUC said on its Facebook that this was “not created or endorsed by FairPrice”, and advises their customers to be “wary of such campaigns”.

There’s truly no free lunch in the world.

4. Internet Love Scams

Image: Asiaone

It so happens that there are tons of lonely people out there.

Internet love scams have resulted in the highest amount lost by scam victims – at a whopping $8.9 million in just five months.

Scammers usually claim to be foreigners with a tragic backstory and all (e.g “I’m a widower”, “Just got a divorce with my ex-wife”), and seek out those who are looking for love online. After arranging a time and place to meet up, the swindlers would somehow get into trouble, and ask the victims to transfer money to help them out.

Just leave them be – don’t fall for it.

5. Credit-for-Sex Scams

More lonely people.

Scammers usually befriend their victims on social media and promise sexual services in exchange transfer cards or online shopping credits.

These meet-ups always never happen, and victims only realise that when it’s too late.

On the off chance victims do realise in time that it’s a scam, they’re threatened with violence by mystery male figures. And since they’ve most likely disclosed some personal information, these threats do carry weight, and victims might be frightened into obedience.

Since the start of 2016, over 200 men had fallen prey to such scams, losing an estimated total of $646,900.

Top Image: Jasni / Shutterstock.com

This post was first published on goodyfeed.com